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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885 VOL. CXXXIX

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2023

NO. 13

Penn law, medical schools rise on U.S. News rankings after opting out of submitting data This year’s rankings use an updated formula after U.S. News faced criticism SARA FORASTIERI Senior Reporter

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Perelman School of Medicine each rose to higher spots in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for the first time since each school stopped submitting data. Penn Carey Law — previously ranked No. 6 — is tied with Harvard Law School for the No. 4 spot on the preview of the 2023-24 U.S. News Best Law School Rankings. The Medical School was tied for the No. 6 spot last year and is now ranked No. 2 on the 2023-24 U.S. News Best Medicine School Rankings — only behind Johns Hopkins University. During December and January, both schools opted out of submitting data to the rankings following withdrawals of other top law and medical schools. The schools each criticized the methodology used by U.S. News to create its rankings. A spokesperson for Penn Carey Law wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the rankings are "one of several metrics" that are used to assess the school, which continues to evaluate itself "among multiple variables." "While we await the final rankings and more information on the methodology to be released on April 18, we are gratified to see that U.S. News considered collective feedback and modified its rankings this year, and that our strong, positive student outcomes are reflected in their ranking released today," the spokesperson wrote. For law schools like Penn Carey Law that did not submit statistical data, U.S. News used figures that schools publicly disclose to the American Bar Association, according to its website. For medical schools that did not share data, U.S. News relied on See RANKINGS, page 3

PHOTOS BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL AND BILL CHEN

Penn community ‘Takes Back The Night’ The annual event — which included speeches, a march through campus, and a survivors’ vigil — protested sexual violence across campus DEDEEPYA GUTHIKONDA Senior Reporter

Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention at Penn hosted its annual Take Back The Night event on April 6. The evening included speeches, performances from arts groups, and a march. The event concluded

with a survivor’s vigil. In prior years, the rally was held on College Green, but due to concerns regarding weather conditions this year, it was moved indoors into the ARCH building. Regardless, the event saw a packed turnout including students from

the various groups sponsoring the event and Greek Life organizations. Take Back The Night is an international campaign

Penn Carey Law and Penn Graduate School of Education announce new deans

Lauv set to headline concert for Spring Fling’s 50th anniversary

Sophia Lee and Katharine Strunk are both set to start on July 1

In response to student feedback, Houston Hall room 313 will join ARCH rooms 205, 211, and 311 as GSRs available for students to use under Penn University Life. Students are able to book these rooms through Penn LibCal, and possibly Penn Mobile in the near future. "The need for space on campus is at an all-time premium," Houston Hall Associate Director of Operations, University Life Space, and Events Management Patrick Faulk said. Faulk added that Houston Hall and ARCH were ideal places to add GSRs on campus. “The building of Houston Hall already has many areas for students to sit and study, and this makes the spaces more intimate,” Faulk said. College first year Alina Zaidi agreed with Faulk that Houston's centralized location makes it useful for students, specifically those in the College. See GSRs, page 7

See DEANS, page 8

See FLING, page 8

PHOTOS BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

YASH RAJPAL Staff Reporter

Penn has repurposed rooms in Houston Hall to serve as group study rooms open to all students.

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IMRAN SIDDIQUI AND KIRA WANG Senior Reporters

Penn recently named two new deans for the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the Graduate School of Education. Sophia Lee was announced as the next dean of Penn Carey Law on April 4, and Katharine Strunk was announced as the next dean of the GSE on April 6. Both are set to start on July 1. Deans serve as the chief academic and administrative officers of their schools, reporting directly to the provost of the University. They lead faculty meetings and oversee funding and personnel proposals. Lee, who has been a law and history professor at Penn since 2009, will succeed Ted Ruger, who will conclude his term as Penn Carey Law's dean on June 30 after eight years in the role, according to an announcement from Penn President Liz Magill. Lee previously served as deputy dean under Ruger from 2015 to 2017. "Sophia Lee is a proven leader and a consensus builder,” Magill wrote. “A superb scholar and teacher of constitutional and administrative law, she is deeply dedicated to Penn Carey Law and to the people — faculty, staff, students, and alumni — who are central to its work.”

Houston Hall room 313 will be converted to a group study room open to all students.

The new study rooms in the ARCH building and Houston Hall are available to all students

SPEC annouced that Lil Tjay will open the concert at Penn Park on April 21

Lauv will headline the concert with Lil Tjay as the opener for the 50th anniversary of Spring Fling this month. The concert will take place in Penn Park on Friday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m., and will be followed by the Daytime Fling event on Saturday, April 22. Penn’s Social Planning and Events Committee unveiled the headliner on their Instagram page on April 3, followed by the announcement of the opener on April 12. The theme for this year’s Daytime Fling, which is free for Penn students and their guests, will celebrate the event’s 50th anniversary, titled “Golden Spring.” The free event will include various giveaways, food vendors, games, and more at Penn Park. Lauv — an American singer and songwriter — is best known for his 2017 hit, “I Like Me Better,” and his first album, “How I’m Feeling,” which debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart. Lauv has also written songs for Charli XCX, Cheat Codes, and Ellie Goulding. Lil Tjay, an American rapper, is best known for his 2021 song “Calling My Phone” — which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and his appearance on American rapper Polo G’s 2019 single “Pop Out.” He has also collaborated with high-profile artists such as American rappers French Montana and Pop Smoke. This year will be the second in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Cheat Codes and Flo Milli headlined the concert, and Lil Yachty opened the show.

CAMELLIA BÙI AND NICOLE MURAVSKY Staff Reporters

Penn repurposes Houston Hall space as group study rooms

See TBTN, page 7

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